I had showered, dressed, and gone to the base of the stairwell to Tara’s rooms before breakfast. There were enough paintings, sculptures, and antiques to look at that I could hang out there and not look suspicious, but I was worried. I needed to talk to Tara before we met up with her parents.

About fifteen minutes before breakfast was to be served, Tara came down the steps. I motioned her to follow me as I headed for the recreation area.

As soon as we were out of range of the servants who were beginning their daily duties, Tara grabbed me and kissed me passionately, smashing her wonderful breasts into my chest and clutching my ass to grind her mound against me. She almost made me forget what I had to say.

“Tara, are we going to be in trouble for last night?”

“What do you mean, Seth? I’ve been on the pill for over a year. I won’t get pregnant.”

“That’s a relief,” I said, “but that’s not what I’m worried about. You don’t do your own laundry, and as a houseguest, I don’t do mine. Whoever is tending to our things, especially your bedding, will have a pretty good idea of what we’ve been doing! Your folks are going to kill me.”

“Oh, Seth, is that why you look so nervous?” Tara giggled. “Don’t worry. Suzette and Lawrence are taking personal care of all our things. Suzette and I are very close. When I came out of the bathroom this morning, she was stripping my bed. She gave me a knowing smile, and said, “I would have to make love to him too, if I were in your position. He’s very handsome, and with the way you two seem to worship the ground each other walks on, Lawrence and I knew you were going to use that old hallway to get to each other. Don’t worry, your secrets have always been safe with me. As you know by now, Lawrence’s middle name is discretion, so no worries there. We’re just happy for you, honey.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” I sighed. “Now all we have to do is try to look innocent in front of your Mom and Dad.”

Tara gave my crotch a little squeeze and said, “Polish up your halo, big boy, because it’s time to meet the parents for breakfast.”

I was really glad that I had chosen to wear blue jeans and a polo shirt with the tail un-tucked this morning. I hoped they would make my lower half look as innocent as my face was struggling to be.

After the usual warm greetings, Tara’s Dad, Joshua, began to speak. “Seth, I need your help. Lawrence and Suzette were at your house last night. They think my wife and I may have made your folks a little uncomfortable with this Christmas celebration tomorrow. Your Mom and Dad were very nice and warm, but Lawrence and Suzette have the impression that your folks think my wife and I are trying to buy their friendship. Do you think that’s possible?”

I thought for a moment. “Joshua, my Mom and Dad have always worked very hard to provide for me. My Mom’s a waitress who works long shifts, and takes any overtime that’s available to her. Dad is a welder. He works long hours, too. We’ve always had a warm home and wholesome food, but not a lot of frills. They’ve taught me by example to be a hard worker, too. Maybe they think you’re giving them a handout that they don’t deserve. They don’t like to see people who look for handouts, if they think those people could make their own way if they were willing to work hard for what they get. At the same time, though, they give any extra money they have, and a fair amount of time, to charities they believe are worthwhile.”

Joshua thought a moment, and then said, “That’s what Lawrence felt they were thinking. He told them his own story, and said he thought they felt a little better. Would you call them for me today, and see what you can learn?”

“I’d be happy to, Joshua,” I said.

Amanda said, “Tara, Suzette told me that Seth’s father is a very good looking man, and Lawrence thinks his mother is beautiful. Do you think that’s why this young man sitting here is so handsome?”

“Could be, Mom,” Tara replied. “When Seth was talking to his Dad yesterday, he mentioned that his Mom is the most beautiful woman he knows.”

“Dad and I tell her that all the time,” I said, “but she just blushes and tells us to hush. But I’m being sincere when I tell her that, and my Dad’s face lights up every time he looks at her, so I know he thinks that too. I just hope you’ll like them.”

“Son,” Joshua said, “they sound like our kind of people. I’m willing to bet that your Mom and Dad are more like Amanda and me than they are different. It sounds like we all have the same basic values. A person’s values are what show their measure, not their bank balance. I only hope we can make them comfortable enough that we can cut through the social strata nonsense and show them who we really are.

“Now, if we’re all done with breakfast, I’d like to talk to you, Seth, about this client of mine we discussed yesterday. If you’re interested in meeting with him, you’ll have to call him at 11am.”

“I’m anxious to speak with him,” I said.

“Good. I should give you some more information about him and his business so you can sound your best on the phone. What do you say we talk about this over a couple of games of pool?”

“I’d like to play you, Joshua,” I said.

“I’m taking on the winner!” Tara exclaimed.

“No, young lady, you’re not. You’re not even going to watch. This is going to be guy time. Seth and I need to talk, and you’re not going to sit there distracting him by looking all cute and lovely, and you’re not going to distract me by teasing me about the shots I miss. Go find something else to do,” Joshua said, firmly.

Tara put on her best fake pout and said, “Fine, you two boys go play your amateur-style game and do your male-bonding thing. After lunch, I’ll take on the loser, and then I’ll take on the winner, and I’ll teach you both how the game is played.” Still trying to look miffed, she winked at her mother and flounced out of the room.

Amanda sighed. “Now look what you’ve done. If she doesn’t beat you both this afternoon, she’ll stay up all night practicing so she can squash you both the next time you play.”

“Let her,” Joshua laughed. “She’s good, and she knows it, but I’m the one who taught her how to play. What I didn’t teach her is how to cheat.”

“Josh, you wouldn’t!” Amanda laughed.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t, because she’d probably catch me. But I do know her weak spots. Seth, let’s go. I need to clue you in on how to put her off guard so you can beat her.”

The pool games went well. Josh and I won a game each, and neither of us made it easy for the other. He shared a lot of information about his daughter, not only about her pool-playing skills, but about his relationship with her. It was obvious that he loved her very much. He also coached me about the phone call I was going to make to his client who owned the race car team. By the time 11 o’clock rolled around, I felt I was ready for my phone interview. Josh took me to his office and placed the call for me. He then gave me a thumbs-up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

When I went to the dining room for lunch, the Hawthorne’s were already there. Amanda saw me first. She took one look at my face and bolted out of her chair. She wrapped me in the same kind of embrace my mother gave me when I was made co-captain of the football team in high school. “Oh, Seth, he liked you, didn’t he?” she squealed.

“I guess he did. We were on the phone for over an hour. We asked each other a lot of questions, and we got pretty deep into some electronics tech areas that they know are weak spots for them. I’m meeting him at the shop the day before New Year’s Eve. I didn’t realize it, but it’s only about an hour from campus, which is great. He’s going to have the entire shop and office crew there to meet me. He said that, technically, he has to interview me in person, but I have the job.”

Joshua came around the table and shook my hand enthusiastically. “I knew you could do it, son!”

Tara was beaming. She came to me, looked me deep in the eyes, and then, right in front of her parents, embraced me and gave me a big kiss on the lips. “Congratulations, Seth. I’m so proud of you. This is going to be a great Christmas.”

After lunch, Joshua invited me to play pool with him again. This time, Tara was allowed to come along. Amanda decided to join us. Joshua and I played first. We each played aggressively and well. I beat him, mainly because he missed a fairly easy shot. When Amanda laughed at him, Tara scolded her. Amanda said, “Oh honey, your Dad takes his game so seriously, just like everything else he does. He sometimes needs me to help him lighten up.”

Joshua said, “Your Mom’s right, sweetheart, sometimes I do get too full of myself, but I figure if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. But it’s nice of you to defend me. I almost want to let you win when we play.”

“Let’s play right now, Daddy. Of course, I’ll beat you, but if I can tell you let me win, I will make your life miserable,” she said with mock seriousness.

Amanda and I sat next to each other to watch. Halfway through the game, Lawrence knocked politely on the open door. “Please forgive my interruption, but there is a phone call for Mr. Johnson,” he said. “Sir, your father is calling for you.” He handed me a phone, gave us all the hint of a bow, and backed out of the room.

“Hi, Dad,” I said into the phone. “What’s up?”

“Merry almost-Christmas, son,” my Dad replied. “Your Mom and I just wanted to talk to you. Lawrence and Suzette were here earlier and brought the clothes they measured us for last night. I’ve gotta tell you, son, your Mom looks so good in her new outfit, I think I’ll keep her!” I could hear my Mom laughing in the background, then I could tell they were wrestling for the phone.

“Seth, it’s Mom. Your father is as insufferable as always. I certainly hope he can behave himself tomorrow. Seriously, though, I like the way I look in this dress. And the accessories! That Suzette certainly knows how to pick clothing. And Lawrence managed to make your Dad look even more handsome than he was the day he proposed to me, and that’s saying a lot. Is Dr. Hawthorne anywhere nearby? I’d like to talk to her.”

“Sure, Mom, she’s sitting right here next to me. We’re watching Tara slaughter her Dad at a game of pool.”

“She’s not slaughtering me, she’s just lucky!” Joshua said, loud enough for my Mom to hear.

Amanda took the phone from me. “Don’t mind my husband. His fragile ego is getting bruised by having his little girl beat him at his favorite game.”

“Dr. Hawthorne,” my Mom said. “Do you have a minute?”

Amanda answered, “Of course. But please, call me Amanda. I hear ‘Dr. Hawthorne’ all day at work, and sometimes it’s nice to be just plain, old Amanda.”

“OK,” my Mom said, “and I’m Debbie. I wanted to call you to thank you for the wonderful clothes your employees brought for my husband and me. I’ve never felt so pampered, and my husband looks fantastic. We don’t know how to thank you enough.”

“Just come and have Christmas with us and let us get to know you. That’s all my husband and I ask. You both must be wonderful people, considering the son you’ve raised. Joshua and I just adore him.”

My Mom said, “We’re pretty proud of him, and we love him more than we can describe, Amanda. And we really want to see him. Do you folks have plans for him tonight, or would he and Tara be able to come over here for the evening? We’d really like to meet her, and we’re dying to see him. We haven’t seen our little boy since Thanksgiving.”

“Hang on, Debbie,” Amanda said. She covered the phone and held it out to me. “Your Mom and Dad would like you to come home for a visit tonight. They really want to see you. They want you to bring Tara, too.”

“Mom,” I said, taking the phone. “What time do you want us there?”

“Can you and Tara come for dinner? We could eat around 5:30.”

Tara had heard enough of the conversation to have an idea of what we were saying. She called out, “Ask your Mom what I should bring.”

Mom said, “Tell Tara just to bring herself.”

I said to Tara, “She doesn’t want us to bring anything. She just said we should come for dinner at 5:30.”

Tara said, “Tell her we’ll be there at 4:30 so I can help her in the kitchen.”

My Mom heard her and said, “She doesn’t need to help me. She’s our guest. But come whenever you can. Your Dad and I really want to meet her.”

“OK, Mom. We’ll be there at 4:30. I love you, Mom.” I hung up the phone.

“Seth,” Joshua said, your truck hasn’t arrived yet, so you’re going to have to take my car. The roads are cleared, so you’ll be fine.”

“Joshua,” I said, “I wouldn’t want to drive your car. Tara can drive.”

“Bad idea, Seth,” Josh laughed. “I taught Tara to drive. That’s when my hair started going gray. Besides, we all know what happened the last time she drove. Don’t you let her near my car keys!”

“Very funny, Dad,” Tara said, giving him a withering stare. “Just for that, watch this.” She sank an incredible shot, landing her last two balls and the 8-ball in succession, winning the game.

“I still say you’re just lucky,” Joshua grumbled. Then he grabbed Tara and hugged her, kissing her on the cheek. “Of course, you had a hell of a teacher.”

On the way to my house, Tara was strangely quiet.

“What’s wrong, baby,” I asked. “You seem nervous.”

“Seth, what if they don’t like me?”

“What’s not to like? You’re beautiful, smart, a good talker, lots of fun to be with, and now that you’ve dropped your rich bitch routine, a very nice person,” I replied.

“Are you ever going to forgive me for the way I treated you?” Sara asked, shyly.

“Honey, I already told you that I have forgiven you completely for everything. We all have to go through phases in our development to becoming who we really want to be. That was a phase I know you’ve given up. We love each other now, so that’s all that matters.”

As we pulled up to my house, she muttered softly, “I just hope they can come to love me.”

As I knew they would be, my parents were enchanted by Tara. My Dad had a little trouble trying not to stare at her too hard, since she looked great in jeans and a sweater. She had chosen clothes that fit her well, but not too tightly, trying to look casual and attractive, but trying not too show her curves too clearly, out of respect. My Dad is a lot like me, though. His imagination let him guess what she could really look like, and he was damned impressed. At one point, while my Mom and Tara were chatting animatedly about college, I caught him undressing her with his eyes. I grinned at him, shook my head subtly, “No,” pointed at myself, and mouthed the word, “Mine.” He coughed and looked away to hide his laughter.

We moved into the kitchen so Mom could work on dinner, and Tara insisted on helping her. Dad and I sat at the table and watched them in silence for a few minutes. Then he motioned me back into the living room. “Seth, he said, how do you really feel about this girl?”

“What do you mean, Dad?”

“Well, it seems kind of sudden to me. We talked on the phone every week when you were at school, and you never mentioned her. How could you hold out on your old man about landing a catch like this? She’s wonderful! She reminds me a lot of your Mom when she was that age. Same long legs, same great figure, same beautiful face, same penetrating, honest, and if I can get away with saying it, sexy eyes. If she were a brunette, I’d say she could pass as your Mom’s twin when Debbie was nineteen. The personality, too. God, she has it all. If it weren’t for your Mom, I’d make a play for her myself!”

“Dad, you’d have to go through me first, and I’m sure not just stepping aside,” I said.

“That’s OK, son, I’m just thinking out loud. I love your mother more than life itself, but I’m not so old that I can’t look. If you get really serious about this girl, I only hope she ages as well as your mother has.”

“Wait until tomorrow until you meet Amanda, Tara’s mother. She has to be about fifty, but she’s still an extremely attractive woman. Even if her appearance doesn’t impress you, and I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t, her warmth and loving personality will make you wish you had known her all your life. Her Dad’s the same way. They could only have one child, Tara, but they always wanted a son, too. I think that may be part of why they’ve warmed up to me so fast. Although, actually, I think they’re just really warm people. You and Mom will like them, I’m sure. They know a little about you, and they’re really anxious to get to know you.”

“Dinner’s ready, boys,” Mom called from the kitchen.

I’ve always loved my Mom’s cooking, and the sight and smells of her table always makes me really hungry, but Tara dug in like she was starving to death. After a few minutes of eating in relative silence, my Mom said, “Seth, tell us more about your trip home from school in that storm. I know the roads were really bad, but it seemed like it took you an awfully long time. You didn’t drive your truck here tonight. Did something happen to it that you’re embarrassed to tell us about?”

I looked at Tara and she looked back at me, nodding slightly.

“Something did happen on our trip home. I knew you could tell that I wasn’t telling you the whole story, but I wasn’t going to try to explain everything to you on the phone. But now that we’re here together, I’ll tell you everything. Please don’t interrupt me, and please hold your judgment until I’m done. OK?”

My parents both nodded, looking grim, but kept silent as I told them every detail about what happened. I explained how I found Tara in her wrecked car, how we got kidnapped by Zeke and Merle, and about how they tied us up in their cabin. I gave them the whole account of Zeke getting drunk, talking about raping Tara, and holding me at gunpoint while forcing Tara to strip. I told them that, when Zeke was starting to rape Tara, his brother fought with him to stop him. I explained that Merle and Zeke fought while Tara untied me, and told them how Zeke laughed as he stabbed his brother to death with a fireplace poker. My Mom was trying not to cry, and my Dad had a look of rage on his face that I had never seen before. I told them how I shot Zeke twice when he lunged at Tara and me with the poker.

At that point, Tara took over. Her face was streaming with silent tears. “Zeke fell over when Seth shot him in the leg, but he was still raging about how he was going to hunt us down and kill us. I was standing there naked, looking at the man who had tried to rape me and who had just seemed to enjoy murdering his own brother, and I knew that, somehow, he would kill Seth and me if we all survived the night. While I was getting dressed, I knew what I had to do. I threw that jug of moonshine at him, and it smashed right between his legs. Then I grabbed a kerosene lamp and dumped it all over him. I made Seth go out and start Zeke’s Jeep, while I watched the flammable liquid ooze across the floor toward the fireplace. I knew what was going to happen, and I felt in my heart that it was just. I cursed Zeke to the fires of Hell, and walked out the door. As we drove away, the cabin burst into flames.”

No one moved or spoke for a while. Then my Mom got out of her chair and hugged Tara. They cried on each other’s shoulders for a time. Finally, in a very quiet and gentle voice, my Dad said, “Kids, there was nothing else you could do. You had to save your own lives. I’m just glad you had the strength and the grace of God to survive that so you could be here today.”

I looked up at him, and for the first time in my life, I saw my Dad was crying. That was all it took for me to let go. Through my sobs, I said, “We started driving home, and when Tara could get out on her cell phone, she called her Dad. She wouldn’t tell him what had happened, but she did say we were in a stolen car. He was furious, but she promised to explain it, so he told her where to hide it. A guy met us there and took us to Tara’s house and she told her folks the whole story. Their reaction was about the same as yours. Her Dad disposed of the Jeep. He has friends and associates who are in criminal law, and they investigated everything and assured him that we would be in the clear. The one lawyer said there really wasn’t anything that would hold up in court, anyway. We’re just trying to move on.”

Mom had returned to her chair. “My poor baby boy,” she sobbed. “My poor, beautiful little girl! Why did you have to go through this?”

My Dad had regained his composure by this time. “Debbie, kids, do you remember the adage, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’? I think this is a great example.”

Tara nodded. “It certainly has changed me. Seth has shown me that love and compassion are the only things that really matter in this world. Everything else is un-important window-dressing. My parents had raised me to know that, but I had almost forgotten. It took that horrible night to bring me back to reality. The emotional scars from that night may never leave me, but I’m starting to accept them, because they’ve forced me to remember what’s important in life.”

Dad said, “Tara, I don’t know if you know this, but I was in Viet Nam. I have some scars from that, both physical and emotional. I would never want to return to that time, but, unlike some of my fellow veterans, I’ve healed and grown from the experience. Trust me, I know what you mean.”

When we got back to Tara’s house, it was after 10 o’clock. Her parents were in their TV room.

“So, how was dinner?” Amanda said to Tara when we walked in. “Fabulous. Her Mom’s a great cook. Their house is really nice. It’s pretty, cozy, and warm. I really like Debbie and Tom.”

I said, “My Mom and Dad fell in love with Tara. We talked a lot. Mom and Tara couldn’t stop yakking in the kitchen while they were getting dinner ready, and Dad told me Tara reminds him of Mom when she was Tara’s age. And, we told them the whole story of what happened to us the night we were driving home from school.”

“How did they react?” Joshua asked.

“Mom and Dad both cried, but they agreed that there was nothing else that we could have done.”

“Oh Mom, Daddy,” Tara said, “they were so wonderful. They understood. Tom even shared some of his feelings about his war experiences, which I think was pretty hard for him. They accepted me.”

“Now I’m really anxious to meet them,” Tara’s Dad said. “Speaking of which, Christmas morning is coming pretty soon. We should all get some sleep. We’ll see you kids for breakfast at 7:30. Seth, your folks are going to be here at 11:30, right?”

“That’s the plan, Joshua. Well, Merry Christmas everybody,” I said as I turned for the door.

“Hold on, young man,” Joshua said. “You don’t get away that easily.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him in a warm, manly bear hug. “Merry Christmas, son.”

Tara’s Mom came up and tapped Joshua on the shoulder, like someone who wanted to cut in on a dancing couple. Joshua released me, and Amanda pulled me to her. “I’m so glad you’re here with us for Christmas, Seth. I’m so glad you found Tara and came here to us. I’ve always dreamed of waking up to a son on Christmas day. Now you’re here to let me pretend I have one.” She kissed me on both cheeks, and then pulled back just enough to focus, holding my face in her hands. “Thank you,” was all she said, and then she turned away.

Tara and I walked hand in hand to the door. When we were in the hall, still in plain view of her folks, she pulled me to her, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. “Merry Christmas, honey,” she said in a voice intended for her parents to hear. Then she whispered in my ear, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

We went to our own rooms. I quickly changed into the pajamas that were folded neatly on top of my dresser and made my way through our “secret” passage to Tara’s room. She was lying on her side in bed, a royal purple silk sheet drawn over her, her one beautifully shaped shoulder, her exquisite face, and her silky blond hair the only things exposed. When she saw me, she gave me her sultriest smile, but then she started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, confused.

“Oh that Suzette and Lawrence!” she laughed. I wondered about these new sheets when Suzette made up my bed today, and she seemed to be in an especially good mood, but she didn’t say anything. And now you show up in pajamas that match my sheets exactly. Do you think that’s a coincidence?”

“They’re at it again, aren’t they?” I said, grinning.

“They sure are,” Tara said. “Well, come here, we certainly don’t want to disappoint them, do we.”

When I walked to the side of the bed, Tara got to her knees, exposing her incredible body to me as she removed my pajama top. She kissed my chest, sucking lightly on my nipples. She worked her way up my throat, and then plunged her tongue into my mouth. I held her to me tightly, stroking her sensuous back as we kissed. Eventually, she broke our embrace and pulled my pajama bottoms off my hips. As I stepped out of them, she wrapped her gentle hands around my throbbing cock.

“Make love to me, Seth. I want you inside me right now. No delay, no foreplay, no nothing. I’m so hot and wet for you that I just have to feel you fill me up right away. We have the whole night for play, but right now I just need you inside me.”

I crawled up on the bed as she lay back. She positioned the head of my dick at her entrance and guided me inside. She was right. She was so wet that it felt like I had spent a long time preparing her. Although she was very, very tight, I smoothly slid in until our pubic bones met. Holding my upper body weight on my arms, I began to kiss her incredible mouth. Our tongues made love for a long time, while our genitals stayed still, enjoying the feel of our joining. Slowly, subtly, she began to move beneath and around me.

“Make, long, slow, deep love to me, baby,” she whispered.

We began to move together in a slow, gentle rhythm. I would pull out about halfway, taking my time, and then gradually sink in again to the hilt. Sometimes our movements were more of rocking than a thrusting motion. This wasn’t fucking. It wasn’t having sex. We were making love in every sense of the term.

We were almost completely quiet. Neither of us spoke – there was no need. Neither of us moaned, grunted, squealed, or screamed. This wasn’t that kind of sex. For a long time, the only sounds we made were the soft sounds of kissing and the subtle liquid sound of a very wet pussy squeezing a very hard cock.

After what seemed like an eternity of bliss, I felt Tara’s muscles begin to gently milk my manhood. We gradually increased the pace of our lovemaking, savoring the pleasure of every stroke. Finally, Tara broke our kiss to whisper, “I love you Seth, I love you.” I could feel her vaginal walls press rhythmically against my shaft as she sighed her way through her orgasm. Before she was done, I could feel myself swelling deep inside her, and I had my own soul-satisfying orgasm.

I rolled over on my back, bringing Tara with me. She laid on top of me, holding me inside of her, and began to kiss me again. When she pushed herself up on her arms, I looked deep into her eyes. “I’ve never felt anything like that before, Tara. You truly are a goddess. I’m so deeply in love with you that I can’t begin to understand it. I just know that it’s real, and that’s all that matters,” I said.

We drifted off for a while. I awoke to the sensation of wet stroking on my penis. Tara was on her hands and knees at the foot of the bed, licking me awake. “That’s nice,” I said.

She paused for a moment. “You must have been tired. Your beautiful prick woke up a couple of minutes ago. I’m glad the rest of you finally got the message.” She resumed the task she had set out for herself.

I lay there watching her. Her long blond hair was tossed over her back so I could see her gorgeous face as she impaled it with my manhood. I propped myself up on my arms so I could see her shapely ass sticking up behind her. She raised her eyes to look at me, her beautiful eyes full of love and lust. She sank onto one elbow, freeing her other hand to reach behind her to play with herself. What an amazing sight!

“Tara, honey, bring that succulent pussy of yours up here. You shouldn’t be the only one getting to lick and suck on something,” I said.

Tara giggled as she re-positioned herself into the sixty-nine position. I pulled her to me and began to lightly tease her smooth, puffy, outer labia with the tip of my tongue. She was already very moist. Her aroma and flavor begged me to pleasure her with much more vigor than the session we had first had tonight. I separated her outer folds and plunged my tongue inside, licking everything within reach. I curled my tongue and thrust it as deep inside her as I could, sucking her entire pussy with my mouth. Then I tickled and suckled her erect clit with my tongue as I inserted first one, then two fingers deep inside her. Her moaning and squirming let me know that this was what she needed. When I found her g-spot, she abandoned my cock so she could gasp in enough air to supply her body during her orgasm.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God!” she yelled in a strangled voice as she bucked on my face. I drank her nectar as rapidly as I could as her orgasm continued.

When she was done, she threw herself off me and collapsed, panting, on the bed beside me. “I thought I was going to pass out!” she said, still trying to recover. “Just hang on a minute, baby, I’ll get back to you as soon as my head clears!”

I turned in the bed so I could lie next to her and held her in my arms. I kissed and nuzzled her. I played with her hair. I gently caressed her beautiful, firm breasts, lightly teasing her nipples with my fingertips. When they were erect again, I reached behind her and gently stroked and rubbed her smooth, tight asscheeks. Then I reached between her legs so I could let my fingers slither over her still-drenched pussy.

She responded by snaking a hand between us to play with my as yet unsatisfied cock and balls. “I’m so sorry, Seth, I almost forgot that I didn’t finish you. I guess you distracted me,” she said with a naughty giggle.

We lay there for awhile, gently stroking and kissing each other. I could tell that she was getting aroused again, even though she said nothing. Suddenly, she pulled away and got on her hands and knees again. She stared at me for a moment wearing an oddly serious expression on her face. Then, a smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth and her eyes began to sparkle. Finally, she murmured, “Doggy, anyone?”
As I positioned myself behind her, she wiggled her butt at me, clenching and unclenching her muscles so that her pussy seemed to wink at me. She reached between her legs to help guide my raging hard-on inside her. As I slid in, she let out a contented moan. “Oh, God, Seth, that’s good.” She let her upper body sink to the bed, twisting so she could look back at me. “Fuck me good and hard, honey,” she said.

This time, there was pure animal lust pulling our bodies together. We rutted like dogs in heat, like a mare and a stallion. I pounded into her, and she thrust back against me just as hard. I could reach her one tit, and I tweaked, fondled, and twisted the hard little nipple as I pistoned in and out of her tight pussy. We weren’t quiet this time. We were both grunting and moaning our lust. Our bodies were making loud smacking sounds as they slapped together, and our soaking wet sex made loud, lewd squelching noises.

We were able to keep this up for a fair amount of time, but the end was inevitable. All too soon, I felt my juices coming to a boil as my sack smacked over and over against her. I released her tit and reached for her clit, massaging and tweaking it. When her cunt muscles began to pulse on me, she started to make a tortured keening noise. I shoved myself into her as deep as I knew how, feeling myself swell even larger than I had already been.

“Cum in me, Seth, cum in me now! I need it!” she wailed. Spurt after spurt of hot jizz erupted from me as I roared like a lust-crazed beast.

We slept in each other’s arms the rest of the night. When Tara’s alarm woke us, we kissed, and I went back to my room to get ready for Christmas.

At breakfast, Tara’s parents were strangely subdued. They were warm and friendly, but they almost seemed on edge. Tara finally said, “Mom, Dad, what’s wrong?”

Joshua sighed and looked almost uncomfortable, but said nothing. Finally, Amanda said, “Kids, we’re worried. We’re afraid Seth’s parents won’t like us. We’re worried that they won’t understand us.”

“Oh, Mom,” Tara said soothingly, “I liked them a lot, and they seemed to like me. Why are you worrying?”

“Because we’re afraid that they will think we are too different from them. Some people are very uncomfortable when they are confronted by the trappings of wealth that they don’t have. How can we make them understand that we’re hard-working people who just want to make them feel welcome?”

I spoke up. “Joshua, Amanda, I thought about that too. I was pretty intimidated when I first got here. The mansion, the serving staff, the obvious money… it was a lot for me to process. But now that you’ve shown your true selves to me, I don’t really see it so much. I mean, sure, I know that you guys are wealthy, and you live a lifestyle that I never even dreamed of, but when I talk to you, it all disappears. All I see is a great, warm loving family. Let yourselves be yourselves. You’ll see that you two are really a lot like my Mom and Dad.

“When Tara and I were there last night, it was pretty obvious that my Mom and Dad fell in love with her. If you let them see how much you love your daughter, too, they’ll focus on that. They love me the same way, so you guys will automatically have some common ground. Just take it from there.”

Joshua said, “Thanks, son. I needed to hear that from you. Now, if everyone is done with breakfast, let’s go into the great room.”

As we entered the room, Tara let out a squeal of delight. “Oh Mom, Daddy, you did it again!” The room had been transformed overnight into a Christmas scene like a Norman Rockwell painting. There was a huge tree decorated with antique ornaments. A Christmas village scene was laid out underneath it, complete with houses, shops, snow-covered yards and streets, children sledding, and horse-drawn sleighs. The windows of the room were draped with holly and pine garland, and large, bulging stockings hung at the fireplace. It was beautiful.

Amanda said, “We never did much in the way of gifts at Christmas. Usually, we just let Santa fill our stockings. And look, there’s one for each of us. Tara, honey, why don’t you get them down and bring them to us?”

Tara brought each of us our stockings. Amanda emptied hers first. The gifts inside were simple, but personal (and some, obviously expensive). There were gourmet chocolates, perfume, an onyx and jade pen and pencil set, and a pearl necklace with matching earrings.

Joshua went next. He pulled out a box of pool cue chalk, a small leather-bound appointment book, after-shave, and a set of ruby and diamond cufflinks.

When it was Tara’s turn, she found a bag of macadamia nuts (“My favorite!” she laughed), perfume, a new cell phone, and a small wrapped box that could have held a bracelet. “What’s this, she asked?”

“Open it,” her Mom and Dad said together. When she did, she just sat there with a stunned look on her face, her lower lip trembling.

“What is it?” I asked, leaning over to look.

As Tara held up a key fob, a horn sounded outside. We looked up to see Suzette stepping out of a new, red Mercedes sport coupe.

Joshua came over and hugged his daughter. “The truck picked up your vehicles yesterday. There was no fixing your car, so we got you a new one. Merry Christmas, honey.”

“Oh Mom, Daddy, thank you!” Tara cried, her wet eyes beginning to spill tears of joy down her cheeks. “Come on, everyone, let’s go out and see it!”

“Hang on a minute, sweetheart,” Amanda chided her daughter, smiling indulgently. “Let Seth empty his stocking first. Show some manners, young lady.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, I’m just so excited! Seth, I’m sorry. Please, honey, empty your stocking.”

I pulled out a small box of dark chocolate cherry cordials (how did they know?), a beautiful wristwatch, a cell phone, and a wrapped box like the ones neckties come in. “A cell phone!” I exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted one!”

Amanda, said, “We put you on our plan. Now you can call your folks and us whenever you want, wherever you are. Since you’re on our plan, there will be no cost to you, no matter how much you talk or text.”

Joshua said, “Open the wrapped box, son. I hope you like it.”

I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was something wrapped in layers of tissue paper. I unfolded the paper to find a gas company credit card. “What’s this?” I asked confused. Just then, another horn blew outside. We looked out the window to see Lawrence climbing out of a shiny, black, four-door, mean-as-hell-looking new pick-up truck. It was tricked out with all the popular accessories.

“We leased that truck for you,” Joshua said. “Everything is paid for, including insurance. It may be a little thirsty, though, so the gas card should keep it happy. The bills will come to me.”

It was my turn to get excited. I stood up and ran to the window to get a better look. The thing was beautiful. I just stood there and stared. Then I felt Tara pressing herself against my back, her arms going around my waist. “Mom and Daddy asked what you might want, and I said your truck was showing its age. Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” I yelled.

I looked back to see Amanda and Joshua beaming at me. “Merry Christmas, son,” they said. “Let’s all get our coats and go get a better look.”

“I don’t know what to say. You guys are the best!” I said. “Thank you! But I don’t have anything for you.”

“Nonsense,” Joshua said. “You already gave us our gift, one that no amount of money could ever buy. You brought our darling daughter home to us, alive and safe. No gift anyone could ever give will be better than that one. Now come on, Tara needs to take her Mom for a ride, and I really want to see what that beast of yours is like. Everyone grab their coats.”

Christmas dinner with my parents was a huge success. After some initial nervousness on the part of both couples, they were all talking animatedly with each other. By the time we had our evening meal, a buffet set up in the great room, everyone was behaving as though they had been close friends for many years. We covered a number of topics, including our terrifying night with Zeke and Merle at their cabin. Everyone agreed that Tara and I had handled ourselves in the only way we could. Our mothers both felt that the big tragedy of that night was poor Merle’s death.

On a brighter note, I told my folks about the job prospect I had with the race team. It turns out that my Dad knows one of their fabricators, having worked with him about ten years ago. My folks were excited about the idea, once they were convinced that the race team job would be summer employment and an internship, not a substitute for my continuing education.

When it got late, I drove my parents home in my new truck, promising to return to the Hawthorne’s the next day for lunch. My folks and I talked long into the night about Tara and her family. Alone in my own bed that night, I slept poorly. I kept reaching out for her, frustrated at not feeling her warm nude body pressed against mine.

Tara and I spent the next few days together, visiting old high school friends. The guys were all impressed by my new truck, but much more impressed with my new girlfriend. Tara, too, showed me off to a few of her old girlfriends. We spent a few nights at her house, keeping up the charade of going to our separate bedrooms, followed by me sneaking over to her room. Each night was both passionate and tender. Although we were constantly in heat, we were beginning to realize how deep our love for each other was becoming. Every moment we had to spend apart was agony.

Tara drove me to my interview in her car. She had decided to drop me off at the race shop and then head over to campus to look for an apartment. She was going to move out of the sorority house when we got back to school. I was going to keep my dorm room, since it was already under contract. Besides, we thought it would be wise to make everything look good to our folks.

I got the job with the race team. I spent my weekends at the shop, learning the operation. During Spring Break, Tara and I traveled with the team to a race, watching the events from the pits. Our car qualified well, but retired about halfway through the event with engine problems. The “post-mortem” on the motor revealed some of the same problems that the team owner had been frustrated with. We knew we had our work cut out for us, but my rapport with some of the shop crew had me hopeful that we could find solutions.
__________

Tara’s family and mine grew closer. We spent some summer weekends on the yacht, not as two families and their kids, but more as three couples very much in love. By the time Tara and I returned to school that fall, we had dropped all pretenses, and took an apartment together.

Tara and I both graduated with top honors from our college and got accepted to the same university, near the race team’s main shop in North Carolina. She enrolled in their medical school, and I began work on my two master’s degrees. We were both insanely busy with our studies, she spent a lot of time at the hospital, and I worked long hours at the race shop, but we spent every free moment together. Sometimes we were able to fly home on the team jet to spend time with our families. On one of those visits, Tara’s Mom pulled me aside.

“Seth, I know that you and Tara are thinking about getting married. Joshua and I have talked about it a lot, and we think it would be the most wonderful thing. When we visit with your Mom and Dad, we talk about it too, and we know that they would be thrilled to have Tara as their daughter-in-law. I also know that you haven’t actually proposed to Tara.

“Mom,” I said (I’d been calling her and Joshua ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ for a couple of years at this point), “I’m sort of waiting for the right moment. I’m also saving money for a nice ring. I think I’d like to propose to Tara at our family Christmas dinner this year. But please, don’t let Tara know. I really want it to be a surprise.”

“Your secret’s safe with me, Seth. And I think I know how to really surprise her. Wait here.”

She came back in a moment, holding her one hand behind her. “Josh’s grandmother gave something to me after his grandfather died. She wanted Tara to have it if she ever met the right man. I think she’ll like it.” She held out her hand and handed me an obviously old ring box. I opened it. Inside it was the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. The large center stone was surrounded by a ring of tiny, brilliant diamonds, all in an intricate antique setting of yellow gold.

“Mom, it’s beautiful. The gold reminds me of the shine of Tara’s hair, and the diamonds sparkle like her eyes when I tell her how much I love her. It’s perfect. It’s just like her. Mom, it’s just like you.”
__________

We had our traditional Christmas morning together in the Hawthorne’s great room. Both our parents were there. We all emptied our stockings and had a great time examining each other’s gifts. When the last stocking had been emptied, I excused myself as though I had to go to the bathroom. When I came back, Joshua winked at me. He knew what I was up to.

“Tara, I said, Santa left another stocking. It had a note in it that said, ‘For Seth from Santa. Share this with someone you love.’ Why don’t you open it, honey?”

Tara took the tiny stocking and shook out a small package, not much larger than a pack of chewing gum. She looked at it, puzzled.

“Open it, honey. I really want you to have it.”

She peeled off the wrapping paper, revealing a small white cardboard box. She opened the box and shook out a tightly wrapped piece of red tissue paper. When she unfolded the paper, her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. “Oh Seth!” she cried.

“Will you marry me, Tara?” I asked, having gotten down on one knee in front of her.

With tears running down her cheeks, Tara lifted her eyes from the ring to gaze at me. “Yes,” she whispered.

I took the ring and placed in on her finger. “I love you. I want to be with you forever. I want you to be my wife.”

Tara and I were married the following summer. It was a fairly simple and small ceremony. Her father gave her away. Amanda was her matron of honor and my Mom was her bridesmaid. My Dad was my best man. Our honeymoon was really only a long weekend, because of our work, but we were ecstatic. We spent the entire time in bed, fucking our brains out!

A few days before Christmas that year, we realized that it was the five-year anniversary of the horrible night we had spent in the cabin with the sadistic rapist and murderer, Zeke, and his kind-hearted, gentle giant of a brother, Merle. The weather was clear that day, so we drove along the road until we found the site of their cabin. The dirt road to it was very overgrown, so we parked on the edge of the hard road and hiked through the brush to the ruins of the cabin. It appeared as though the burned-out cabin was undisturbed. Brush and small saplings were growing through the rubble of charred timbers. We said a prayer for poor Merle, and held each other and cried.
_________

Five more years passed. I had earned my master’s degrees in both electronics engineering and business management and was now running the engine shop of the race team, which we had moved to North Carolina into a new facility next to the main race shop. Our new driver had just won Rookie-of-the-Year honors, having finished third in season points. Several other teams were now buying their engines from us.

Tara was taking a break from her residency in pediatric oncology, awaiting the birth of our first child. Her pregnancy had been fairly uneventful. If possible, she was now even more beautiful than she had been when I first met her. The sight of her swollen body, carrying my son, filled me with more love for her than I could comprehend. The only problem was that we could not decide on a name for the baby. When Tara’s water broke one night, we were so busy getting her to the hospital, that we didn’t even discuss the name then. Her labor was long and painful, but the delivery went well. When the baby was born, we were both impressed by his size. He cried lustily at first, but calmed down immediately when he was place in Tara’s arms.

“What’s his name?” the doctor asked.

Tara and I both looked at our precious son. Then we gazed at each other with love.

“Look at him, honey,” I said. “He’s so big, and yet so gentle. He already looks like he loves you. Only one name will do for him.”

“I know, Seth. You’re right. I’m surprised we didn’t realize this before.” Turning to look at the doctor, she said, “His name is Merle.”

The End

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